


It Started With Lizards

by DragonBandit



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dragon Age Reverse Big Bang 2015, Gen, Prank Wars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-04 22:37:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5350958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonBandit/pseuds/DragonBandit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It ends with chaos. When the Dread Wolf and Red Jenny decide to have a prank war, no one is safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Started With Lizards

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the DARBB 2015. Art by Prideling and can be found [here](http://prideling.tumblr.com/post/134462390317/truce-maybe-for-the-dragon-age-reverse-big%22)  
>  at their tumblr.

Solas wakes on one bright, sunny morning to the discovery of a mess of egg on his forehead. He does not require much thought to realise the identity of the culprit. Sera, he thinks with a disgust he usually reserves for cats, tea, and inaccurate histories.

She’s been hounding him for the past few weeks. To what end Solas does not know. He just wants it to stop.

He wipes the egg away, lifting himself out of bed to survey the rest of the damage. Since she has managed to get into his chambers; Solas has no doubt the she has ruined more than just his bedsheets.

He does not need to look very far. Paper everywhere. Along with his inks and paints and books. In fact it appears that the entirety of his shelves and desk have ended up on the floor. Lending the appearance of having had a small whirlwind run through it.

Sera _would_ like being likened to a storm, Solas thinks with a huff. He bends to start picking up the papers. He will have to endeavour not to make the comparison in earshot of her.

Somewhere between the discovery of more eggs over what had once been rather delicate research and the sudden, painful knowledge of the feeling of a  glass shard entering his foot, Solas comes to the conclusion that he is going to have to _do_ something about this.

Solas has tried to take the highroad. He is, after all, the adult of the situation. That has to count for something. Even if right now it seems to amount to prying out glass from the bottom of his foot. No. Sera has proved that ignoring her simply invites more chaos onto his person. This cannot be allowed to continue.

Solas purses his lips in thought. He doubts highly that a scolding would have any effect on her. Save perhaps inviting even more mayhem.

No, he is going to have to do something much more drastic. He is going to have to meet her on her own terms. Fight fire with fire.

Solas is going to have to prank her back.

* * *

 

When Solas had been younger, an age ago, he had been rather notorious as a trickster. There are stories still of it now, though Solas has never paid much attention to what the Dalish believe of him.

The skills needed are ones he has always been practiced in: Sleight of hand; intelligence; and creativity.

Albeit Solas does not feel very creative when he puts together the bucket of chicken feathers he needs for this trick. He has neither the time nor the patience to think up something truly magnificent. And he is trying to get Sera to leave him alone, not inspire her into begging for him to teach her things that he had long decided were far beneath him.

It matters not.

Sera is out with the the Inquisitor, exploring what’s left of the Hinterlands Solas believes. He remembers there being talk of bandits, and closing up a few remaining rifts. Both activities likely to leave them all covered in blood and gore and assorted pieces of muck. Solas has always despaired over the way that Sera traipses through Skyhold with no thought to take a bath after such activities, trailing what amounts to day's worth of detritus after her. Now though, he finds that it works to his advantage.

Solas gains a few odd looks from the regular patrons of the tavern, but they have no reason to suspect the harmless elven apostate. Especially when he is obviously busy researching something judging by the notebook and quill held between ink stained fingers.

No one bothers inquiring about the bucket Solas has carefully held between his hands, nor what he needs to do in Sera’s room while she is away. A shame considering that Solas had an excellent cover story already fabricated. It had involved the fade, and how thin the barrier around Skyhold is, and wondering if certain places in the keep had a measurable difference in the strength of the veil. Alas, the regulars merely give him a confused glance before going back to their ale and idle chatter.

When Solas leaves the tavern there is a rune hidden under Sera’s rug, waiting for the pressure of a foot to set off a series of events that should deter Sera from ever targeting Solas again.

* * *

 

“Fucking finally!” Sera rejoices as soon as she dismounts from the horse that she swears hates her more and more with each journey out of the keep.

Next to her Dorian is fussing with his clothes, no point as far as Sera can see. They’re all covered in the dust of the road not to mention that group of bandits that still haven’t gotten the hint that green glowing things means ‘fuck right off before Inqy gets em’. Well. Inqy and Sera. Dream Team. Right there.

She’s bone tired, in all the ways that make her realise what that phrase even means. She’s covered in aching pains, her shoulder’s managed to get sprained thanks to her bow and her ass is numb thanks to the sodding horse, not to mention the ache in her feet from walking all day. Ugh. She needs to sleep, for like, a million trillion years.

With that in mind she waltzes her way to her rooms, idly playing with a trinket she’d found after one of Inqy’s murderdeath sprees. Sera thinks it’s a wolf tooth, though she’s not too sure. Whatever it is it’s pretty if kind of useless, Inqy had made sure of that before letting her keep it. . Perfect to go in her corner of things she thinks. It’s not like anyone's gonna miss it.

She’s still thinking about where it should go, maybe she needs to find a shelf or something? For all the ickle things that can’t just go on the floor or table, when she gets to her room.

Sera spins on the carpet, trying to spot a good place for her new trinket.

Below her feet the rune activates. Above her head a bucket is bespelled to tip. Its contents spill.

Sera shrieks as her entire body is coated in feathers.

For a moment that’s all she can do. Feathers stuck to her and her dirt like leeches. Ugh, the things prickle horribly against the bare bits of skin on her arms and chest. Especially her chest, double urgh. She shivers, plucking the things off her as fast as she can, to find that she can’t. No matter what she does the feathers just stay stuck. To her fingers when she gets a good enough grip on them, or her clothes and hair where they’ve fallen. It takes Sera all of three seconds to get royally pissed off about that.

Sera knows exactly one thing that can do that: Magic. Her eyes narrow.

Okay, Sera thinks as she takes stock of all of this. What mage has she pissed off recently that would have the balls to get back at her? Her lips purse. There are a lot of mages in Skyhold thanks to Inqy being a sap. Sera has pissed off at least half of them.

Alright maybe all of them but who’s counting?

...One of the mages apparently.

So out of all the robey shits which one of them would get on her bad side? Not one of the booky ones that can’t see past the pages they’re staring at. (Sera chops off half her list of subjects.) Not one of the snivelly ones either. (Another quarter). Maker aren’t mages wet towels!

But that still leaves the other mages. The dangerous ones. The ones with fire in their eyes who don’t much care about the little people they frighten with their nasty tricks. The ones that need to be watched, just in case something gets into their heads and makes them think it’s alright to do things nastier than tricks.

Sera only knows one mage like that who would have the balls to do this to her. How he managed it considering he was with Inqy at the same time she was, Sera doesn’t know nor does she bother thinking about. He’s got a fucking time spell, maybe he used it here. Ugh, that’s what Sera gets for swapping out Mr. Silly-robes’s mustache wax for the stuff they grease the pots with.

Time to go get her an apology.

* * *

 

Except that when Sera confronts Dorian he looks at her with undisguised mirth and says, “Sorry, but it appears you have the wrong mage.”

“Bollocks I’ve got the wrong mage! Who else would think of covering me in shite feathers with a shite spell so I can’t get em off!”

“I can assure you it wasn’t me.”

Sera crosses her arms, anger simmering in her chest. He’s telling the truth. He’d been so surprised to see her in the first place, and she’s not seeing any of the usual things that say he’s telling her a story. He’s not even doing that weird smile thing past trying not to laugh at her.

“Then who?” She says, and is immediately annoyed at herself when it comes out plaintive instead of angry.

“I am afraid that I cannot help you there,” Dorian says, sipping at his glass of wine. “Have you considered who you have angered recently?”

“Duh! It’s just been you and prissy pants and feather-shoulders and eggy--” she stops abruptly, “He wouldn’t.” the realisation comes out dark.

“Who is this he of whom you speak?” Dorian’s smirking. Sera resists the urge to introduce the smirk to her fist.

Sera turns on her heel, marching out of the tavern instead of answering. She has a bone to pick with a certain mage.  

Everyone in the courtyard laughs at her. Sera can’t really blame them. She looks like a chicken with all the feathers. Like a really angry chicken. And a hot one because Sera is hot. Even when she’s covered in feathers she’s a looker. She’s a little glad about the laughing though, just a little.  Cause she hasn’t seen red-breeches crack a smile in weeks since his kids went missing. And the maids found another spider infestation which no one wants to deal with so they’re all just this side of grumpy.

Sera has to admit that sometimes being the butt of a prank does have it’s uses. Doesn’t mean she’s not going to get her own back though.

She slams open the door to the mage tower, staring down her opponent with a glare Sera has previously saved for nobles that do the really nasty things in the alienages. Most of those nobles hadn’t lived to tell the tale of Red Jenny visiting in the night. They hadn’t deserved to say anything more than “Argh,” And “Shite” before a carefully placed arrow made sure they'd never be able to do what they had done again.

While Sera admits that what has happened to her isn’t nearly so bad as all of that, she’s also covered in fucking feathers. It’s a kind of personal thing now.

“You,” She hisses at Solas with all the disgust she can muster. A lot. As said already, she’s covered in feathers. And mud and shit because she’s only just gotten home and going to the baths at this time of day is just asking for a whole lot of nastiness that Sera is never ready for. Least of all when she’s so tired and just wants to nap.

“Sera,” Solas greets with what could be a warm smile on his face. Except that it’s Solas so Sera knows it’s more of a self-satisfied smirk. His eyes flicker up and down her body. Creepy. “You seem to have found yourself in a predicament.”

Sera throws the rune on his desk. It bounces and skitters across the surface until it falls on to the floor.

“What the fucking fuck did you do to me?” Her hands slam onto the pages. She hopes she smudges some of them.

“Ma melava halani la mala suledin nadas. Tel’abelas. ” Solas says, acting like Sera slamming herself on his precious things is a normal thing for them. Which is isn’t. At all.

Her nose wrinkles in disgust,“What?”

“I believe you would have said, you asked for it.” He’s smiling. Ugh it’s so obnoxious. Newts in his bedroll next time Inqy takes them both out together. For definite.  

“So what? You decided to get revenge by using shite magic on me?”

“It is merely an enchantment.” He says like that matters.

“Don’t care! Get it off!”

Solas’s smile widens. “And what, would that get me, exactly?”

Sera’s mouth falls open. She can’t find any retort to that, frozen in shock at his sheer ballsiness to challenge her. Her! Prank Queen of Skyhold! Who does he think he is?

“You’ll be lucky if you don’t get an arrow to your face!”

“Threatening me. How original.” Freaky mage elves are not allowed to purr. It just makes them even more freaky.

Sera bites back a scream, “Just get the fucking feathers off!”  

Solas gazes at her for a long moment. Blue eyes unblinking as they look into Sera’s own. “Stop pranking me, and I will divest you of your feather problem.”

Sera blinks. She can’t believe this is happening. Solas isn’t allowed to be like this. All smooth and in charge after getting one up on Sera. It’s not allowed. That’s not how the world is meant to work.

“No.” Sera says, mostly because she’s already working out how to get him back for covering her in feathers in the first place, “Pick something else.”

“I will not.”

Sera stares at him, “You cannot be serious.”

“Can I not?” His head tilts, “I assure you I am being nothing but.”

“You mean that’s the only thing you want?”

“For you to leave me in peace? Certainly.”

Sera’s nose wrinkles. Like void she’ll leave him in peace now. He doesn’t deserve it. He’s a fucking arrogant prick. He needs to be covered in… bugs. Yeah bugs. Maybe salamanders if she can find any. Or bees. Yeah. Bee’s and honey and stinging potions that cover him in boils.

“I will not.” She says, sticking her nose in the air.

“Then I will not help you.” Solas answers. He looks down, clearly dismissing her. “Don’t bother asking any of the other mages; they won’t know the counter.”

Sera stands in front of the desk. Mute and not sure what to do with herself. He’ll change his mind. He’s going to change his mind. No way is he just going to make her walk around Skyhold covered in feathers. He isn’t that stupid is he?

Solas doesn’t look up at her again. Sera swallows. Well then. If that’s how he’s going to play it Sera will just have to bring as good as she’s getting.

“This means war y’know,” She says. A quiet thrill goes down her spine as she says it. The weight of a challenge making her heart thump loudly, and her head tick into planning mode.

Solas just smirks. Like a complete and utter bastard.

Sera slams the door to his office behind her. Hard. She hopes it gives him a headache. Would serve him right.

* * *

 

It takes three days for Sera to finally molt. In those three days chaos descends upon Skyhold. Quite literally, as Sera enacts her revenge.

No one is safe when there is a war between the queen of pranks and the elven god of tricksters. Although this is a fact that will be realized later, after a lot of alcohol has been drank and even more tears shed. Right now to Skyhold the war is between Red Jenny and an Elven Apostate who should have known better.

Varric will later say as he sucks on a much abused quill, that he wouldn’t be able to make this shit up if he tried. Next to him, still itching from the powder that had been used instead of detergent, Josephine will say that she doesn’t care how believable it is, so long as it stops soon. Some of the Inquisitions more noble contributors have started to complain in the only way they know how: withdrawing much needed contributions.

In the space of three days this is what happens to Skyhold: A desk is moved two inches to the right, greatly inconveniencing both the man whose desk it is, and the Inquisitor who had planned to use it as a convenient landing pad.

The next day there is a dearth of trousers throughout the entirety of the keep. The only clue being the champion of Kirkwall cackling madly over a mug of ale, at their feet a suspiciously bulging cloth sack. And Solas, who seems to have managed to keep his leggings on his person.

A mural is lovingly painted in garish yellows and reds. Depicting a crude elf doing something unspeakable with a long staff. The artwork is in all, approximately 7 feet in height. It is in perfect view of the entire courtyard.

The next morning the mural is painted over to depict the elf now holding a bow, and being eaten by a very, very large wolf. The mural is now 12 feet in height.

Later that evening the residents of the mage tower are deafened by the sounds of a shard emitting a high pitched screech. It lasts for the rest of the night until the shard itself is pitched over the side of the keep to be buried in snow. Even then some of the inhabitants claim to still be able to hear the awful sound.

After the day the kitchens are swamped in flour it is unanimously decided that the combatants need to be taken out of Skyhold. At the very least in the hopes being stranded in the wilderness together will calm their feud.

Or, more likely as all of Skyhold knows, now no one else can be caught quite so badly in the crossfire.

* * *

 

In the middle of the Emerald Graves, Solas seethes. It is a quiet sort of seething, the sort of seething that is not completely recognisable as seething until it is pointed out. Which will not happen as Solas is surrounded by idiots.

No, that is unfair of him. Solas is surrounded by two idiots and a dear friend who is currently very busy ignoring Solas’ completely valid concerns as to the reason for them being out here in the first place.

Solas has research to get back to. He does not have time to traipse around the wilderness with--well with Sera if Solas is being perfectly frank about the matter.

He does not trust Sera. He especially does not trust Sera when she has been grinning at her pack with such an air of deviousness that the very air is tinged with it.

Over the past few weeks Solas has learned that he has, in fact, made a terrible mistake. Not the first time he has done that. But possibly the first time in a long while where the effects of it have not caused something catastrophic to punish him for the error. The breach in the Inquisitor’s hand glimmers ominously. No, instead Solas is rewarded with childish, idiotic pranks that take time and energy away from the things that are actually important to his life here. Such as rectifying the mistakes he has already made.

He should have realised that retaliating would only give her a reason to attack him further. He should have realised that allowing her to continue would only encourage her to create more chaos. Solas should have realised a lot of things.

But now he is here, in the furthest reaches of nowhere with a woman he knows has a grudge against him. A woman with a grudge who is unpredictable at her best and downright impossible at her worst. And a woman that has plans.

There is only one way for this to go.

* * *

 

Sera rankles at the feel of eyes on her back. Shite it’s annoying. It was annoying two hours ago and it's’ only gotten more annoying since then. Stupid Solas. Stupid Inqy. Stupid Emerald Graves! Urgh she needs this to just, all go away.

Away away, back to before she had to wake up and check for stupid runes under her stupid floor that will do stupid things when she activates them. Back to before when Solas was just a dumb mage in his poncey tower and Sera was awesome, outside of the tower.

Not like now. When Solas is all silly and vicious. Sera is dimly aware that no one else would put those two words together. In the other quiver though, no one has ever thought like Sera and she doubts anyone would start now.

It’s right anyways. He _is_ silly and vicious. Both at once. Who else would start this all off with something even Sera only uses when she can’t think of anything cleverer? And then make it impossible to be funny by flinging magic into the mix?

It’s fucking weird.

It’s fucking weird and she needs him to stop. Like, right now.

Sera bites her lip, and palms the balm in her pocket. Nothing like the basics to make someone back off right?

Right.

* * *

 

When they make camp the Inquisitor makes the worst mistake of their lives. Save of course, for the whole picking up a magical object used by a powerful magister and then turning into the herald of Andraste.

And the part where they died with Haven falling on top of them. And the other time where they died by getting trapped in the fade for a few hours.

But save for those life changing and almost impossible feats of misfortune, what they are about to do next will stick out as one of the worst things they have ever done in their entire life.

“Sera, Solas, you two can share that tent. Bull and I will be in here.”

Unbeknownst to the Inquisitor, both the mentioned elves pat their packs in a manner that clearly spells trouble.

* * *

 

Later, none of the people present on that fateful night will be able to explain what happened. Much to the frustration of Varric, who needs to write this shit down; Josephine, who has to explain this shit to visiting nobles; and Dagna, who really really wants to recreate it.

In essence-- this is what occurred. A highly unstable potion meets with an equally volatile spell. Neither party will be able to know exactly which spell, or what potion. What they will know is that the resulting pandemonium is a mess of chaos, screams, and a couple of small explosions, by the time the dust storm that had been whipped up by the war settles no one is sure exactly what happened.

What the Inquisitor does know, and it’s down to them to clean up this mess, because of course it is, is whose fault it is. In one word: Elves. In more words: The elves they’ve been travelling with. The ones who have spent the past week feuding over something that no one has been able to figure out. In three words: Sera and Solas.

The Inquisitor looks at what had once been a peaceful campsite. They look at Sera, grinning sheepishly but not at all repentant. Their gaze turns to Solas, on the other side of the campsite, tall and proud.

“Right,” The Inquisitor says, “You two, with me. Now.”

Sera looks mutinous for a second, obviously having an idea of what’s going to happen. One look at the glare the Inquisitor is wearing makes her crumple. She scowls, but follows without complaint. Solas has no idea, judging by his smirk. And thus is completely unprepared for what comes next.

They march to a fairly secluded area of the forest, to where earlier Bull had noticed a felled tree, and had wondered what had managed to cause it to fall. The Inquisitor pulls both their unruly team mates by their ears to the log, and pushes on their shoulders until they sit down on it. They glare their very best “I am so very disappointed in you” glare. They have a feeling Vivienne would be proud of them in that moment.

“You two are going to sit here, and make up.” They say, envisioning the war table, where their word is law, “No more pranks. No more attacking each other. No more of-- this.”

The Inquisitor is met with twin stares.

“You cannot be serious,” Sera says.

“I am,” The Inquisitor insists, “You’ve been annoying _everyone_. It’s getting unmanageable. I’m not asking you to suddenly be friends but do you have to be enemies?” They turn to Solas, “I would have expected better of you at least.”

Sera takes offense to that, “And what am I? Chopped liver?”

“Merely someone who is expected to be childish at every given circumstance,” Solas snipes.

“I’ll show you childish!”

“Both of you stop it!” The Inquisitor interjects, “don’t make me get Bull to tie you both down.”

From the other side of the ruined campsite Bull calls out cheerfully, “I knew it always paid to be prepared.”

At once both of the elves settle down, though their gazes are very firmly set to opposite sides of the forest.

“You really want me to make up with him.” Sera says.

“Yes.”

“Maker’s tits.”

Solas adds a long elven oath. It’s obvious that it’s not flattering.

“Well at least you’re both agreeing now,” The Inquisitor says brightly. “Try not to kill each other.”

* * *

 

Sera pouts. She doesn’t know what Inqy expects of her, but if it’s playing nice with dumb Solas, they’ve got another thing coming. A big other thing. If it weren’t for the fact that whatever happened had gotten rid of all of her pranking supplies, she’d already be out of here, Mr broody breeches stuck to whatever tree looked the most rudest.

But since all of her stuff went up with the tent, Sera’s got to deal with this. This--urgh she’s on the fucking naughty step. Log. Whatever. Point still stands--she’s being treated like a fucking kid. Again.

She didn’t even deserve it this time!

….Well okay Sera admits that some--a teeny, teeny little bit of it--might of actually been her fault. Just a little bit! It’s not her fault that Solas never actually got the hint that Sera is unbeatable. It’s not her fault that he gave as good as he got, and wasn’t that just weird. It’s not Sera’s fault at all that he doesn’t play fair and uses magic that goes tits up as soon as spit on it.

Really, it should be Solas all by his frigging self here. Sera doesn’t need to be here at all!

She’s not going to make nice with him. She’s not!

Sera wishes she had something to do. Being on the naughty step is always a right pain. She glances out of the corner of her eyes, wondering if Solas feels the same about it. He does--he’s got that scowl on his face that he always does when he thinks someone’s asking stupid questions and wasting his oh-so-precious time.

Hah. That at least makes Sera feel a little better about this. As bored as she is, at least she’s suffering in company.

She stretches out, playing at being comfy and nonchalant. Solas scowls at her, perfect. She clicks her tongue, and then starts to whistle one of the more bawdier tavern songs. Let's see how long it takes Baldy to get mad at that!

“Sera,” Solas says about four bars in, “desist.”

“Or you’ll what?” Sera says with a relish, “Cover me in feathers again?”

“If I have to.”

“No you won’t. You can’t get me otherwise Inqy will get you.”

“You believe that the Inquisitor will protect you from the punishment that you so rightfully deserve.”

“Yeah,” Sera says, spinning the word till it lasts long enough to make Solas’s face go all funny, “That's what they said, innit?”

“They said that the both of us need to stop feuding.”

“‘S’that what we’ve been doing?”

“What would you have called it?”

Sera shrugs, “Prank war, duh. Though you took it waaaay too seriously.”

“I did not.” Solas scoffs, “you were the one that escalated matters.”

“Did not.”

“You did.”

“Did not,” Sera singsongs.

“Did-- I am not falling for that.” Solas scowls down at the ground. He’s never any fun is he.

Sera leans back on the log, not really caring one way or another,“Suit yourself.” She starts whistling again.

This time Solas lasts until the second chorus before he snaps again, “Why are you always so insufferable?”

“It’s a talent,” Sera says, the air of someone who has been told this many, many times before by a myriad of different people.

“It is an inadvisable one.”

“Is it? Hadn’t noticed.”

Solas eyes her. Sera can see his glare out of her side-view. “You will stop pranking me.”

“Is that an order? Cause, I don’t really follow those all too well. Part of the whole, wildcard thing I’ve got going on for myself y’know.”

“I know.” oooo, was that a growl? Has Sera finally managed to make the man snap? This might actually be fun.

“So what makes you think I’m going to do anything you tell me?”

“If you do not you will be stuck on a log with me until the Inquisitor finally sees reason.”

He...has a point there, not that Sera is ever going to let him know that. “And you’ll be stuck on a log with _me_. I think I’m more annoying that you are.”

“Do not try and bait me, it will not work.”

Sera sniffs. Fair enough. Except for the fact that she knows he’s lying. Baiting him always works. It’s like a little magic trick. Not real magic obviously, Sera isn’t a mage, she isn't. But she is good at sleight of hand and misdirection so it’s like magic. Except a million times better on account of not being actually magic.

She opens her mouth, a comeback already on the tip of her tongue before she thinks better about it all.

Because Sera isn’t sure that baiting him is actually a good idea right now. Like, sure she can do it. But it wouldn’t do anything. Not really. All it would do it put more wood on the fire that Sera isn’t sure she really wants to fuel in the first place. It’s already gotten big enough that it’s gotten her in real trouble.

Yeah, sure pranking’s fun. But not when actual people get hurt. It’s gotten really close to people getting hurt. And not just from Mr Mage’s tricks.

He’s good. That’s the problem. He’s good and he makes Sera want to do better as she fumes at how easily he’s outwitted her once again. It feels like a real success when she does pull the wool over his eyes. A real rush of something that makes her toes curl all up. Sera forgets about the little people when she’s running for that rush.

She turns that guilty thought over and over in her head for a bit. Sitting in silence and picking at the moss on the log.

“Inqy’s right,” she admits.

“The Inquisitor is right about what?”

“We were gettin’ a bit too rough.”

“You mean to say that you were.”

“Noooo, otherwise I would have said that.” Sera makes a wordless noise of disgust, straight out of Cassandra’s book there. “We both were.”

She watches him out of the corner of her eye again. If he disagrees she’ll punch him.

He’s always so inscrutable, it’s almost impossible to tell what he’s really thinking when it’s not annoyance. But he’s narrowing his eyes, looking at something out of Sera’s sight. The campsite, she thinks judging by the direction but she can’t really tell it.

“You may have a point,” he concedes.

“May do?” Sera says, appalled before realising that she’s snapped at him again. She reigns her temper in, “You mean I do.”

“You do.” Solas agrees, and apologises with two words. Which is almost weirder than him just ignoring her. “I should not have refused to take the feathers away.”

“I shoulda agreed not to prank you. ‘s not like I couldn’t have just lied or something.”

“If you had lied then we would have been in this situation anyway. I would have retaliated in kind no matter how you phrased your response.”

“That was a lot of long words,” Sera says so she doesn’t have to agree with him out loud.  “No more pranking?”

“No more pranking.”

Sera’s heels kick into the log. Bored now that she’s kind of done what she was meant to do. Are they just meant to wait here until they’re gotten? Probably. that’s how it usually works out. Though Sera’s always had a habit of sneaking away before that’s happened. She’s just not good at the whole sitting still thing.

Inqy is soooo going to pay for this. Somehow. Somehow that would, usually involve a lot of flour and materials Sera is not supposed to go near with a 20 foot pole. Not that anyone’s ever been able to stop her from it.

“Solas,” Sera singsongs.

“Yes?”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t want to do one last prank?” She looks significantly in the direction Inqy had walked off in.

Solas doesn’t say anything for awhile. Instead stares back at the campsite which is slowly getting put back together by the efforts of the Inquisition's soldiers, Bull and Inqy. He makes an understanding sound, “What did you have in mind?”

Sera grins wickedly, and turns to punch Solas on the shoulder, the back street handshake. “Well…”

* * *

 

Solas has the distinct feeling that he has made a terrible mistake. He knows that there is no way for him to go but forwards. Regardless, he has a feeling he will enjoy what is to come.

* * *

 [](http://prideling.tumblr.com/post/134462390317/truce-maybe-for-the-dragon-age-reverse-big)

A week later the Inquisitor has one of the strangest days of their life that doesn’t include green fire, demons and/or Tevinter mages. Oh, and dragons. Can never forget the dragons.

What it does include is slime, spiders, flour and water, more slime, something in their hair that feels like it’s moving, ruined bedsheets, a great mural depicting what they assume is a hunter and a wolf, and even more slime.

It takes them about two minutes to realise the culprits. They knew that the two elves of their inner circle had been getting along just a little too well after the incident that will never be spoken of again.

“Sera!! Solas!! you had better know how to fix this!!!”

 

* * *

 

On the bottom of the mage tower, Sera gulps down a candied treat that most certainly does not belong to her. Next to her Solas has an open sketchbook, a piece of charcoal moving rapidly across the thick paper. So far it’s got a bunch of bows and staffs on it, and lots of fancy clothing that Sera’s never seen before in her life. She’s kind of learning how to draw all big and fancy like Solas. Turns out they have just a little more in common than the pointy ears.

“We are in so much trouble,” She laughs.

“A position I am sure you are more than used to.” Solas says, the slightest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“You too.” Sera says, “No way did you learn all that stuff by being a goody two shoes.”

“I will admit to a few dalliances in my youth.”

“Teach me some of ‘em?”

“I think not.”

Sera groans, “And I thought you were finally becoming interesting!”

“Oh I can show you _interesting_.” Solas says, “but then I suspect we would once again find ourselves on the naughty step.”

Sera leans back on her hands, and laughs and laughs and laughs.

The rest of Skyhold shares a communal shudder, as Sera’s laughter drifts over the courtyard, the garden, the war table, and all the other places in Skyhold inhabited or not. There will be chaos again.

There always is in Skyhold.


End file.
